The opening ceremony for the National Contest is on Sunday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m. and features an address by filmmaker Ken Burns! Don't miss the chance to hear from this legendary documentary filmmaker.

Teacher workshops at the National Contest!

Filmmaker

Lynn Novick

While students compete, teachers can learn!

National History Day hosts two days of professional development workshops.

Monday morning sessions feature learning resources from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Eagle Eye Citizen, and the Smithsonian Learning Lab. The afternoon features part one of an interactive workshop to improve the quality of NHD projects in the classroom.

The second day features Lynn Novick, long-time film making partner to Ken Burns and the co-director and co-producer of The Vietnam War series airing on PBS this fall, followed by the conclusion of the NHD project workshop in the afternoon.

As the 2017 contest season wraps up, we are working on the 2018 theme, Conflict and Compromise in History. We will debut the theme book at the 2017 National Contest and make it available on the NHD website for all teachers and students to access.

The red poppy has become the internationally recognized symbol of remembrance for veteran sacrifice. It all began on a war-torn battlefield during World War I, when the crimson petals caught the eye of a soldier named John McCrae, inspiring the poem – “In Flanders Field”. The flower celebrates the service of more than 4.7 million Americans who served during WWI, and honors the 116,516 who died on the battlefields of Europe.

At the National Contest you can purchase packets of Flanders poppy seeds. These vibrant flowers are known for growing on the battlefields of World War I and are commonly worn on lapels during Veteran's Day (known as Armistice Day in Europe).

Teachers' Institute About the Carlisle Indian School!

Thanks to a grant from the NHPRC, Dickinson College will host a Teachers' Institute about the Carlisle Indian School and the continuing impact of Indian boarding schools. The institute will be held July 30-August 4, 2017 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Specialists in American Indian education and 12 secondary school educators will come together to confront and interrogate this important history. Participating teachers will develop lesson plans that use the Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center and other available sources. These lesson plans can then be used in native and non-native classrooms, community centers, and libraries around the country. Travel, room and board expenses will be paid for by the grant, and teachers also will receive a stipend for their participation. People interested in the summer institute should download the attached document for more information and submit an application according to the instructions. Please feel free to share this announcement and application form with anyone who may be interested in applying, and direct any questions to cisproject@dickinson.edu.